The Indian government considers Myanmarese Rohingya refugees as dangerous for national security. So, New Delhi has asked Rohingyas to leave the South Asian country. However, the scenario is completely different in neighbouring Bangladesh. Although more than five million displaced Rohingyas have taken refuge in Bangladesh, Dhaka hasn’t asked them to leave.
No one can deny the fact that it’s important for the Indian government to take necessary measures, with the oppressed Rohingyas rushing to the border. But it’s wrong to brand members of a stateless community as terrorists and to ask them to return to their country, despite knowing the current political situation in Myanmar. The stand of the Indian government on Rohingya issue has shocked many Indians.

Rohingyas

Diplomacy is merciless, especially if it involves geopolitical and economic interests. Although the civil society is concerned about matters, such as morality and humanity, it’s not the same for a state. Myanmar is rich in natural resources and the South-east Asian country’s geo-strategic location is also very important. Myanmar, which is the key link for land transport between South and South-east Asia, is situated near the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal. The country shares borders with India, China, Bangladesh, Laos and Thailand. It is quite natural for two emerging Asian powers – India and China – to strengthen ties with a country, like Myanmar. In recent times, China has kept Myanmar and its neighbourhood in its sphere of influence. India has already been encircled by Chinese military and commercial facilities and in such a situation, it’s not possible for India to sit idle.

Since the beginning, Beijing has described the Rohingya issue as Myanmar’s ‘internal’ problem and also promised to help Naypyidaw resolve the crisis. China’s stand on the issue has prompted India to rethink its ‘Myanmar policy’. Foreign policy experts have advised the Indian government not to criticise Myanmar or its iconic leader Aung San Suu Kyi over the Rohingya issue, saying that such a move could encourage the country to cement ties with China. According to experts, it’s important for India to maintain cordial ties with Myanmar in order to counter the Asian giant’s growing influence in the region.
The Indian foreign policy makers are well aware of the fact that the global community, including Bangladesh, has strongly criticised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not raising the ‘Rohingya’ issue during his recent meeting with Suu Kyi. After Modi’s meeting with Suu Kyi, Bangladesh requested India to put Myanmar under pressure over the issue. It’s equally important for India to consider Bangladesh’s request as New Delhi needs Dhaka’s support to maintain the strategic balance in South Asia. However, India is in a ‘Catch 22’ situation as its opponent is China. So, in an attempt to manage both the sides, the Modi government in New Delhi has decided to provide humanitarian relief to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and to trust Suu Kyi.

Narendra Modi

Apart from India and China, some other major powers, like Russia and the US, and the European Union have economic and strategic interests in Myanmar. They, too, didn’t criticise the South-east Asian nation over the Rohingya issue. It is expected that China and Russia will oppose any move against Myanmar at the UN Security Council and use their veto powers, if necessary.
Although members of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC), including Turkey, Indonesia and Malaysia, have expressed concern over the condition of Rohingyas, they are not really interested in resolving the issue. They are actually trying to project the Islamic world’s human face in the changing world. Experts believe that Turkey is concentrating on the Rohingya issue only because of Saudi Arabia, as Ankara wants to replace Riyadh as the leader of the Islamic world.

Rohingyas

In such a situation, everyone will give priority to their own interests. In 21st century, the main task of diplomacy is to serve economic interests and not humanitarian interests. The only positive factor is Bangladesh still exists. The Sheikh Hasina government in Dhaka is working really hard to mitigate the sufferings of Rohingya people.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das